THE OBSERVER-(M-16)

 😎THE OBSERVER-(M-16)😎

……..contd from M-15……….

Thurs, 13 Aug 2020

Monday was probably the day of minimum activity on this site since a long time.Umesh Oberoi started the day by remembering the late Gautam Dutta Roy on his date of birth - a light-hearted message saying he hoped Gautam was enjoying with apsaras in heaven. A few messages later, Ian came up with a sentimental msg listing out ten of us who no longer grace this planet with their presence. Although most of us must have been aware of this info all the time, this bit of news does startle . A stark reminder of the undeniable fact that we too are nearing the finishing line. Always did wonder why this simple fact, known very well to us from childhood days and confirmed by the events around us all our lives, has that kind of an effect each time ! There follows an inevitable silence accompanied by an eerie  undescribable feeling. Is that some kind of fear, which must not be spoken of ? Or should we dare to confront it and come to terms with it? How is a birthday  different from a rememberance day ? Are these are two sides of the same coin ? Is the end of one thing i same as the beginning of another? Endless questions !! Can be discussed later if someone is interested.Meanwhile, i proceed with my narrative with your kind permission.

My experiences in B.E.G.& Centre, Kirkee as a Y.O immediately after passing out from OTA : 

PAY DISTRIBUTION AND DUTY OFFICER 

The Regimental Centre consisted of the Permanent Staff posted for three-odd years and those on various courses ranging from raw recruits to JCOs and NCOs on promotion courses. Pay had to be distributed physically at least twice a month to all personnel other than officers, battalion-wise.Coming to the duty officer part, the first time I confronted it was when one Monday, all of a sudden, I was asked by the Adjutant to submit the Duty Officer's form for the preceding week. What, me? Yes, you. I had no prior information about it, Sir ! You have it now and for your info you are the duty officer for the current week also. Complete both forms and submit next Monday. Right Sir ! Having got hold of two copies of the form running into three or four pages each, I tried to do it all. One for the running week and interpolating figures for the previous week in the other form. I just could not complete it. Many of the places I had to check were far off and a vehicle was hardly ever available. There was also a limit to the amount I could cycle around. All I could do was - make sure I did not come face-to- face with the Adjutant during the ensuing week and hope that he forgot all about it . That he did quite often,he was kept so busy by the CO.Lemme see if I remember all the duties involved.The form went something like this :

   DUTY OFFICER OF THE WEEK

Taken over by  ………….

   From              …… .     ..

   At                ………     .

    On              …………….

1. Checked unit Quarter Guard on    ……..at…….hrs   and found ......... .

   ( Once by day and once by night )

2. Checked prisoner guard at …… 

3. Checked patients in the Military Hospital on...   at …..        Remarks…….

4. Checked explosive guard on…..

5. Checked ration collection on…….

6. Checked food on…..

7 Checked firing range on…...

8 Checked CSD canteen on…..

9 Checked unit lines on…...

10 Checked family lines on…..

11 Checked identity cards of the following ……...    

12 Dairy Farm on……...

13 Barber shop on……….

14 Tailor shop on……...

15 Quarter Master Stores on…..

Add a " and found……….." to each of the above

........ and so forth and so on till kingdom come ! Not to forget the all-important signature at the end.

Each of these locations had a register to be signed too.There seemed to be no end to spaces requiring signatures .Come to think of it .. good signing practice for me , for free .Actually being paid for it.

PT , DRILL AND GAMES PARADE

We guys in distant training battalion -2 would spend more time going up and down in the one-ton than in actual physical exercise or play. When the vehicle reached the PT ground at around 0615 in the morning, the entire battalion would already be lined up there. The junior officers (hardly any) would first trot up to their respective Companies and take the report. Then each of us reported to the Adjutant. He had to call the entire lot to attention and report to the second-in-command. The CO hardly ever came except on special occasions. In fact, even the others came rarely and it was left to one of us rookies to march off the PT Parade most days . Same went for games parade from four to five in the evening. We also slowly got into the habit of lounging around after the reporting part was over. The guys would be sent for a short run followed by some excercises . Five minutes before time-up, the air of expectation was palpable - Everyone's attention would be on the BHM (Battalion Havildar Major) to blow a long whistle. All stood at attention while he asked for permission to disperse - which was always & immediately granted! One short whistle and everyone went  running to catch up with life . We sat in the one-ton and slowly made our way back to the Mess. A quick bath, change into uniform, breakfast and once again sitting in the Dighi Queen to get to office after PT.Almost the same during games in the evening.By the way, this was the routine for the staff that were in charge of training and administration. The recruits and the guys on promotion courses had a tough time, practicing so that they could pass their tests. On the day of the tests, we had to supervise and act as judges and examiners. A Major would  be the Presiding Officer. For some of the major tests, even the CO and Comdt  would come.One of the first things that I noticed was that hardly anyone seemed to be actually fond of these parades, but they had to be gone through. More time was spent in the sacred rituals of assembling and dispersing than in the activity (drill, PT or games) itself. Same went for training - theoretical or practical - emphasis was more on maintaining proper records ( Parade State) of the number of trainees present etc. - the paperwork had to be correct. Though trg  was the basic official purpose of having a Regimental Centre, it also doubled as a sort of rehabilitation Centre for all ranks. A place where guys could focus on their individual medical, family or career problems .That's why the overall profile of the permanent staff was very senior - in age and service.In OTA - it was so different,  full of role-models for the rookies to follow .In the kind of overall atmosphere prevailing in the Centre, even the few Keen-Kumar officers had to curb their enthusiasm. Keen-Kumar: That's what the Adjutant called me when I informed him that I would like to stay with the athletics team full-time till the Inter- Battalion was over. He thought I was trying to impress the CO. Still, I got my way and stayed with the guys for about two weeks - with them throughout the day and night.That was a real revelation. All this time I had been around the unit during day and night and thought I knew what life was like for the recruits. Even sleeping in the Duty Officer's room within the Battalion had not prepared me for what I saw.The team had a JCO -IC with an NCO to assist him. The JCO slept in the JCO'S Mess while the NCO slept in a room adjoining the dormitory where the trainees slept. When I decided to sleep there, they gave me this room and the NCO had to move in with the guys. The JCO kept insisting that it was not proper for me to stay there at such close quarters. But I stuck my ground, just to get a feel of what really went on. Most of the recruits were from a rural background and hardly knew anything about sports or athletics. But many were very talented and some of them were spotted during training and separated out. Some more joined in just to escape the gruelling routine of normal training. Then they were tested out in various events and short listed. Those who did not figure in any event (many) were retained for administration. A month or so before the event, they were excused of all routine training and duties and focussed solely on trg for the Championship. They were attached to the nearest langar for food. Attached - this meant they had to contribute in terms of manpower to help in collection of ration, cooking and cleaning up etc. The guys who did not make it to the "A team" had to do all that. Guys who had serious personal differences with those in charge were added to this lot , irrespective of their athletic capabilities . Some were even deliberately suppressed. No way of getting their voice heard by the higher -ups.I tried to correct the situation to the best of my ability.